The video telecasted by Channel 4 is an attempt to disrupt conducive environment now being built between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil population for peace and reconciliation, National Convenor (External Affairs Cell) of India’s main Opposition Bharathiya Janatha Sheshadri Chari said.

In an interview with the Daily News, Chari said the “Channel 4 documentary which in any case does not appear to be made on any verifiable proof was derogatory in nature and only helps in vitiating the atmosphere (of peace building).”

Chari who had visited the North and spoken to the Tamil civilians said the Sri Lankan government was doing excellent work in the North by strengthening the peace process and undertaking economic development.

“For instance the three language formula is also an excellent initiative at creating social harmony asserting that there is “an urge for peace, progress and prosperity in the North”.

“The Tamil population is fearless today. In my interaction with some of them during my visit I found that they are enjoying freedom from the tyranny of the LTTE”.

Issues like Channel 4 is bound to poison this atmosphere the ground reality is so very different” he said.

He also noted that Sri Lanka was probably the only country in the last half a century which decisively won a war against terrorism. “I can’t recall any other country which has won a war against terrorism. Maoist terrorism, the IRA, Al- Qaeda still exist. They have not been totally annihilated as your country has done(with the LTTE)”.

He slammed the Tamil diaspora (he objected to describing them as such. To him they were “economic immigrants”) for feeding distorted information to the West. These elements left Sri Lanka for greener pastures and have no right to dabble in the internal policy decisions of the Sri Lankan government, he stressed.

“Some of these Western governments have their own compulsions and these individuals who are involved in NGOs are taking undue advantage of the liberal policies of some of these countries to foist their hidden agendas”.

To a question that most political watchers here felt that the BJP was supportive of the LTTE during the final stages, Chari said that the BJP never supported the LTTE. “The Party’s very stance from the beginning was that we accept the unity and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka and there could be no compromise on this”.

“We are not aware of what the feeling was here. As for the BJP even at the time it was in government (1998- 2004) it did not support the LTTE at all. How, he asked, could they support an outfit who was responsible for killing of an Indian Prime minister.

It is ridiculous to state that the BJP could have supported the LTTE, he said, adding he could claim with assurance that nowhere in India is there any support for the LTTE.